So sorry. Family stuff, my grandmother being ill and all that.

Disclaimer; Do you see enough Rumbelle on the show for me to own it?

Rating; K +

Words; 705

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Wishes and dreams and magic,

I know these things are true

I know I knew them all,

Once, when I was with you..

Belle has barely glanced at the first stanza of the poem before her concentration is abruptly broken by a trilling giggle and the book is rather unceremoniously snatched from her hand. The next thing she knows, Rumplestiltskin is staring at the cover and holding the book away from himself in a dramatic show of disgust.

"I give you a whole library, all the knowledge in the world at your disposal, andthis is what you choose to read, dearie? And here I was, deluding myself that I had a sensible caretaker!"

She manages to raise an eyebrow even while trying to grab the volume he is holding just out of her reach. "You think I'm sensible?"

She makes another unsuccessful attempt to retrieve her book, but he simply raises it higher. He just had to be a few inches taller than her, didn't he?

"Thoght." he corrects her. "Not after seeing you read this." He gives the book a slight shake.

"I found it in your library.", she counters expertly. "Why do you think it so silly, anyway?"

Rumplestiltskin smiles, and there is something in it that reminds her of just how young she is in the eyes of this age-old sorcerer, but a child compared to the centuries he has seen.

"Dearie, the world is a cruel place. And love is only for a precious few. Even then, it is anything but the bed of roses your books make it out to be."

She looks thoughtful and defiant at the same time, as she carefully chooses her words.

"Those who deserve love can always find it."

The conviction in her voice makes him scoff.

"You didn't get your prince. Or knight, whatever."

"Gaston? You think I loved Gaston?"

"Well, unless you have any other handsome admirers I don't know of, then yes I mean your pea-brained knight."

Belle actually looks surprised.

"No, ours was..an arranged marriage. My hand for our kingdom's protection."

She shakes her head, breaking out of the sad memory, and smiles suddenly.

"But then you came, and saved us. "

His expression suddenly turns harsh as he waves a finger in front of her.

"For a price, dearie."

"Yes. All magic comes with a price, after all." She shrugs. "Yours was a fair one."

"You are a curious girl, do you know that? "

Belle laughs. "Yes, I do, actually."

Suddenly, she reaches forward, and with one well-aimed grab, she has retrieved the book he had unconsciously lowered during their conversation and is flipping through the pages to find her place, which, Rumpelstiltskin realizes, she hes marked with a small bit of his gold. He remembers her taking it once, while watching him spin.

Then another thought hits her. "Have you read it? Some of the poems are lovely, you know."

He isn't about to tell her that he has, even if simply because being immortal meant you needed more than spinning and deals to make the time pass.

Luckily, he is spared answering by her suddenly shy inquiry.

"I could..read to you?"

He wonders how anyone can say no to this woman, when she gazes at them with such tentatively expectant blue eyes, the expression genuine instead of the faux innocent ones court ladies are so adept at.

Grumbling,, he perches on the place on the settee next to her she is indicating, tense at first but slowly relaxing.

Belle happily picks up the volume and continuous where she left off.

It seems like only days

The memories still so fresh

Can it truly be years

Since I last saw you..

So the Dark One allows the princess to soothe him with a voice that could make (though he would never admit this to her) a legal document sound interesting, and verses that speak of love.

And for those few, precious moments, he allows himself to hope.

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